Equipment Hub · Slicing

Magnet Slicing Machines — Complete Selection Guide

A practical guide to choosing the right multi-wire saw for permanent magnet manufacturing. Permanent magnets are slice-tile-loaded — your machine selection is driven by production volume, not block size. Covers NdFeB, SmCo, and Ferrite materials, with monthly capacity from 8K to 1M+ wafers.

Trusted by 9+ NdFeB Manufacturers in Baotou Cluster 21 Patents Granted 20+ Years in Diamond Wire Technology
5
SOM Models
8K – 1M+
Monthly Wafer Capacity
3
Material Types
9+
Cluster Customers

Find Your Machine in 3 Decisions

Because permanent magnet blocks are typically small (30×30×10 to 60×40×15 mm) and tile-loaded onto the machine, your equipment is sized by production volume — not by the size of your input blocks. Use these three questions to narrow down quickly.

1
What's your target monthly output?
Small (< 50K wafers/month)
Mid (50K – 300K wafers/month)
High (300K – 1M+ wafers/month)
2
What slice thickness?
Ultra-thin (< 0.5 mm)
Thin (0.5 – 3 mm)
Standard (3 – 20 mm)
3
What material?
NdFeB (sintered)
SmCo (high-temp)
Ferrite (low-cost)
Quick Recommendations
Mid volume (50–300K/mo) → SOM4-630D dual-station  ·  High volume (300K+/mo) → SOM4-750D / SOM4-1000D  ·  Thin slices < 0.5mm → SOM2-600S  ·  R&D or SmCo → SOMS3-430S

How Diamond Wire Saws Work for Permanent Magnets

Multi-wire diamond saws have replaced traditional inner-diameter (ID) saws as the industry standard for slicing sintered NdFeB and other hard-brittle magnetic materials. Understanding the process — particularly the block tiling step that's unique to magnets — helps you make smarter equipment decisions.

The Working Principle

A diamond-coated steel wire moves at high speed (1500–2200 m/min) past parallel groove wheels carrying multiple wires. The wires form a precisely-spaced cutting array. Workpieces are fed downward into this array under cutting fluid, and every wire produces a slice simultaneously.

Modern multi-wire saws use either electroplated diamond wire (lower cost, shorter life) or brazed diamond wire (higher cost, 3–5× longer life). Brazed wire is preferred for production lines.

Multi-Wire vs ID Saw — Why the Switch

An ID saw cuts one wafer per cycle with a single rotating annular blade. A multi-wire saw cuts hundreds of wafers in a single pass. For a fully tile-loaded NdFeB workpiece producing thousands of wafers, multi-wire throughput is 50–100× higher than ID sawing.

Kerf loss is the second major factor: ID saw kerf is 0.3–0.5mm per cut; modern diamond wire kerf is 0.15–0.25mm. For NdFeB at $50–80/kg, this difference compounds quickly.

Read the full multi-wire vs ID saw cost comparison →

The Magnet Slicing Process — 5 Stages

01
Block Tiling
Small sintered magnets glued into long bars matching load tray length
02
Workpiece Loading
Bars mounted on fixture; orientation aligns slicing axis with wire array
03
Wire Setup
Diamond wire wound onto groove wheels at programmed pitch for target slice thickness
04
Active Slicing
Loaf fed into wire array under coolant; all wires cut simultaneously
05
De-bonding
Sliced bars heated or solvent-treated to release individual magnet wafers

Block Tiling & Adhesive Bonding — Why It Drives Equipment Selection

Unlike silicon wafer cutting (where you start with a large ingot), permanent magnet manufacturing starts from many small sintered blocks. To use a multi-wire saw efficiently, these blocks must be glued together to form a workpiece large enough to fill the machine's load tray. This single fact — that magnets are "assembled" before slicing — changes how you should think about equipment sizing.

📸
Photo Placeholder
To be uploaded by 徐露 (Daria):
"Glued NdFeB block bar ready for multi-wire slicing"

How Magnet Tiling Works

  1. Start with small sintered blocks — typical NdFeB block sizes range from 30×30×10 mm to 60×40×15 mm depending on the final magnet specification.
  2. Apply epoxy adhesive to mating faces and glue blocks end-to-end into a long bar. Bar length matches the machine's load tray length (e.g., 630 mm).
  3. Bars are stacked or arranged side-by-side to fill the load tray width and height — efficient tiling maximizes machine utilization.
  4. The entire tiled workpiece is slice-cut as a single loaf. Every individual magnet inside is sliced simultaneously across hundreds of wires.
  5. After slicing, the adhesive is dissolved (heated or solvent-treated) to release thousands of individual magnet wafers.

Why this matters for machine selection: Because input blocks are small and tiled to fit, machine load-tray capacity (not your block size) determines monthly output. A larger load tray means more blocks tiled per cycle, which means more wafers per day. This is why selection should be driven by your target monthly volume, not by the dimensions of any single magnet you're processing.

Equipment Selection by Production Capacity

Pick the machine that matches your monthly wafer output target. Load tray capacity and station count are the two primary drivers of throughput.

Small Volume
< 50K wafers/month
SOMS3-430S
3-Axis Oscillating · Single Station
  • Load tray: 430 mm length
  • Slice range: 0,5 – 3 мм
  • Cycle time: 5 – 8 hours
  • Best for: R&D, SmCo, ultra-hard magnets, prototype runs
View SOMS3-430S Details →
High Volume
300K – 1M+ wafers/month
SOM4-750D / 1000D
Large Load Tray · Dual-Station
  • SOM4-750D: 750 mm tray, ID saw replacement
  • SOM4-1000D: 1000 mm tray, max capacity (85 kW)
  • Slice range: 1,5 – 25 мм
  • Best for: Mass production, wind turbine magnets, industrial scale
View SOM4-750D Details →

→ For multi-machine line planning: Complete Magnet Production Line Configuration

Thin Magnet Slice Cutting (0.3 – 3 mm)

Thin magnet slices (under 3 mm) are increasingly used in voice coil motors (VCM), magnetic encoders, sensors, and miniature speakers. The cutting challenge: tight thickness tolerance and surface finish at slice thicknesses approaching wire kerf width.

Типичные применения

Voice coil motors in hard disk drives use 0.3–0.8 mm NdFeB slices. Rotary magnetic encoders for servo motors use 0.5–1.5 mm precision-ground slices. Miniature speakers and headphone drivers use 0.5–2 mm Ferrite or NdFeB. Each application has different tolerance budgets — VCMs demand TTV ≤ ±0.02 mm, while audio applications tolerate ±0.05 mm.

SOM2-600S — High-Speed Single Station

Скорость проволоки до 2200 м/мин, supporting slice thicknesses down to 0,3 мм. Optimized for high-throughput thin-slice production where wire speed enables shorter cycle times and lower surface roughness.

Best for: VCM magnets, sensor magnets, high-volume thin-slice production

SOMS3-430S — Oscillating Cut for Ultra-Hard Materials

3-axis oscillating motion adds a transverse cutting component, ideal for ultra-hard materials where straight-cut wear is prohibitive. Slice thickness 0.5–3 mm. Particularly suited to SmCo and high-coercivity NdFeB grades.

Best for: SmCo thin slices, high-grade NdFeB (N45–N52 thin slices)

→ Process guide: Thin NdFeB Slice Production (0.3–1 mm) for Consumer Electronics

SmCo & Ferrite Magnet Cutting Considerations

While NdFeB dominates the rare-earth magnet market, SmCo and Ferrite remain critical materials for specific applications. Cutting techniques differ in subtle but important ways.

SmCo (самарий-кобальт)

SmCo magnets serve high-temperature applications (up to 350°C) where NdFeB cannot perform — aerospace, military, and industrial sensors. SmCo is harder than NdFeB but more brittle. Oscillating cut (SOMS3-430S) is recommended over straight-cut to reduce micro-cracking at slice edges. Diamond wire of finer grit and brazed bond is preferred.

SmCo Cutting Equipment Details →

Ferrite (Strontium / Barium)

Ferrite magnets are cost-effective for large-volume applications: audio speakers, magnetic separators, and DC motors. Mohs hardness 4–4.5 — softer than NdFeB — allowing higher feed rates and lower wire tension. SOM4-630D and SOMS3-430S both perform well; selection depends on production volume rather than material constraints.

Ferrite Cutting Equipment Details →

Equipment Selection by End Application

Different end applications drive different volume profiles. Here's how Vimfun's SOM series maps to the major magnet end-markets.

🚗
EV Traction Motors
High-volume NdFeB for permanent magnet synchronous motors. Tight cost control critical.
Recommended: SOM4-630D · SOM4-750D
⚙️
Industrial Motors
Range of sizes for servo, stepper, and AC motors. Mid-volume production.
Recommended: SOM4-630D
🤖
Servo / Robotics
Small high-precision magnets for servo motors and humanoid robotics actuators.
Recommended: SOMS3-430S
🔊
Audio / Speakers
Ferrite-dominated large-volume production for consumer audio and automotive speakers.
Recommended: SOM4-630D + Ferrite wire

For application-specific configurations: EV Motor Magnet Equipment, Wind Turbine Magnets, Robot & Servo Motors.

Throughput Calculator — From Blocks to Monthly Wafers

Realistic throughput depends on three factors: how densely you tile blocks into the load tray, how many slices each block becomes, and how many cycles you run per day. Below is a worked example based on the SOM4-630D — the most popular configuration in Vimfun's installed base.

Worked example assumptions: 50 × 30 × 10 mm NdFeB blocks (typical motor magnet input), tiled into bars to fill the load tray, sliced at 2 mm target thickness using 0.25 mm diamond wire (typical operating kerf = 0.28 mm including vibration).

Per Cycle — SOM4-630D Dual Station

Load tray (per station) 630 × 160 × 150 mm
Input block size (NdFeB) 50 × 30 × 10 mm
Tiling efficiency (incl. adhesive) ~ 75%
Blocks per station ~ 700 pcs
Slice thickness target 2.00 mm
Diamond wire kerf 0.28 mm
Effective pitch (slice + kerf) 2.28 mm
Wafers per block (10 ÷ 2.28) 4 wafers
Material utilization rate ~ 80%
Wafers per cycle (dual station) ~ 5,600 wafers

Scaling to Monthly Capacity

Cycle time (slice + load/unload) 8 – 10 hours
Cycles per day (2-shift) 2 cycles
Daily output ~ 11,200 wafers
Working days per month 25 days
Single SOM4-630D output ~ 280K wafers/month
For 1M wafers/month target 4 × SOM4-630D OR 2 × SOM4-1000D
Matched downstream lapping 1:1 ratio with 16B-5LY/P

⚠️ Actual throughput varies with block size, slice thickness, kerf control, and material grade. These figures are based on Baotou-cluster customer averages for standard EV motor magnet production. Kerf control is the largest profit lever: every 0.01 mm reduction in kerf adds ~2% to material yield — at $50–80/kg for NdFeB, this compounds quickly. Read the kerf loss optimization guide →

→ For yield optimization techniques: Reducing NdFeB Cutting Kerf Loss

Complete Vimfun Magnet Slicing Lineup

Side-by-side comparison of all five SOM-series multi-wire saws. Click any model to view detailed specifications and request a quote.

Модель Load Tray (L×W×H mm) Slice Range Stations Monthly Capacity* Лучшее применение Детали
SOM2-600S 660 × 120 × 120 0.3 – 3 mm Одиночная 40 – 120K wafers Ultra-thin slices, VCM magnets View
SOMS3-430S 430 × 100 × 100 0,5 – 3 мм Single (oscillating) 8 – 40K wafers Ultra-hard, SmCo, R&D View
SOM4-630D POPULAR 630 × 160 × 150 × 2 1,5 – 20 мм Двойная 200 – 320K wafers EV motor magnets, mid-volume View
SOM4-750D 750 × 180 × 150 × 2 1,5 – 20 мм Двойная 320 – 480K wafers Large blocks, ID saw replacement View
SOM4-1000D 1000 × 200 × 150 × 2 1,5 – 25 мм Двойная 480K – 800K+ wafers Wind turbine, mass production View

* Monthly capacity assumes typical NdFeB block tiling (50×30×10 mm input), 2 mm slice thickness, 0.25 mm diamond wire / 0.28 mm operating kerf, dual-shift operation. Actual output varies with material grade, kerf control, and slice thickness.

9+
NdFeB Manufacturers in the Baotou Rare-Earth Cluster

Baotou (Inner Mongolia) is China's rare-earth capital. Vimfun's installed base across this cluster represents validation in high-volume EV magnet production, large-block tile-loaded slicing, and industrial-scale NdFeB processing.

Trusted by Leading Magnet Producers

Vimfun equipment is operating today at multiple NdFeB manufacturers including:

Baotou Hengyu Magnet Source Baotou Hongying Tech Inner Mongolia Gaote Magnet Baotou Chongde Magnet Baotou Fuyuan Magnet + 4 others

View Customer Case Studies →

Magnet Slicing FAQ

How do you slice small magnets on machines this large?

Permanent magnet manufacturing relies on block tiling: small sintered NdFeB blocks (typically 30×30×10 to 60×40×15 mm) are glued together with epoxy adhesive into long bars matching the machine's load tray length. Multiple bars are stacked and arranged to fill the entire load tray volume, then sliced as a single workpiece. After cutting, the adhesive is dissolved or melted to release thousands of individual magnet wafers.

What adhesive is used for block tiling?

The industry standard is a thermosetting epoxy resin with good cutting-fluid resistance during slicing and a clean release method (typically thermal at 80–150°C, or solvent-based for special grades). The adhesive layer is kept thin (0.05–0.1 mm) to minimize tiling losses. Bond strength must hold during slicing but release cleanly without leaving residue on the magnet faces.

Why not just buy the smallest machine that fits my magnet blocks?

Because load tray capacity drives monthly output, not block size. A larger load tray means more blocks per cycle, which means more wafers per day. A small machine designed for "small blocks" misses the point — your magnet blocks are already small. The question is how many you can tile into the machine at once. For volume production, larger trays (SOM4-630D and up) deliver far better ROI than small machines, regardless of your input block size.

Can the same machine cut NdFeB, SmCo, and Ferrite?

Yes, but with adjusted parameters and diamond wire. NdFeB and Ferrite share similar Mohs hardness (5–6 and 4–4.5) and can run on the same wire grade at adjusted feed rates. SmCo is harder and more brittle — we recommend a finer wire grit and slower feed, ideally on the oscillating SOMS3-430S to reduce edge micro-cracking.

What's the minimum slice thickness achievable?

SOM2-600S supports slices down to 0,3 мм, suitable for VCM (voice coil motor) magnets and sensor applications. Going below 0.3 mm typically requires post-cut grinding rather than as-cut precision. For ultra-thin requirements, plan for downstream double-sided lapping to achieve ±0.02 mm thickness tolerance.

How long does a typical cutting cycle take?

For a fully tile-loaded SOM4-630D dual station with 2 mm slicing and 0.28 mm operating kerf: 8–10 hours per cycle, producing ~5,600 wafers per cycle. Higher-grade NdFeB (N48 and above) takes 10–20% longer due to higher coercivity and density. Thinner slices (under 1 mm) also extend cycle time slightly — and the kerf-to-slice ratio becomes the dominant yield driver: at 0.5 mm slice with 0.28 mm kerf, material utilization drops to ~64%.

What diamond wire is best for NdFeB tile-loaded slicing?

For standard NdFeB slicing (2–10 mm pitch): 0.20–0.25 mm wire diameter with diamond grit size #800–#1000. For thin slicing under 1 mm: 0.15–0.18 mm wire with finer grit #1500–#2000 to minimize kerf loss. Brazed diamond wire is strongly preferred over electroplated for tiled magnet production due to 3–5× longer wire life — particularly important when cutting through adhesive layers between blocks.

Does Vimfun support migration from existing ID saws?

Yes. We have guided multiple Baotou-cluster customers through ID-to-multi-wire migration. The transition typically includes: parameter mapping from your existing ID saw process, block-tiling training (often new to teams used to single-block ID sawing), parallel-running validation, operator training (2–3 days on-site), and ROI documentation showing payback period (typically 8–18 months depending on volume).

Can I request a sample cut on my own material before purchasing?

Yes. Vimfun offers free sample cutting. Send us your standard production blocks (typically 5–20 pcs of 30×30×10 mm or your actual size). We'll tile, slice, document all process parameters, and ship the sliced wafers back for your inspection. Sample turnaround is normally 1–2 weeks.

Get a Free Magnet Sample Cut

Send us 5–20 of your actual production blocks — we'll tile them, slice on the recommended SOM-series machine, document the process parameters, and ship the sliced wafers back for your inspection. Our engineering team responds within 24 hours.

Email: daria@endlesswiresaw.com  ·  Tel: +86 130 2773 8908

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